1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a balloon valve for a water display.
2. Description of Related Art
Water displays are sometimes installed into a structure to improve the aesthetic appearance of the building. Water displays include fountains that emit a stream of water from an orifice located within a structure such as a statue. Ancient water fountains relied on gravity to feed the water to the orifice. Later pumps and valves were developed to redirect water to the fountain structure. The pumps and valves can be controlled by a computer to periodically emit streams or slugs of water. Such displays are typically more amusing to watch than conventional water fountains.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,066 issued to Fuller et al, discloses a water display that contains a plurality of nozzles that intermittently project streams of water. The flow of water through the nozzles is controlled by solenoid control valves that are energized and de-energized by a computer. Conventional solenoid control valves typically contain spools or other valve members that have a relatively small orifice. Such control valves are thereby unable to control a relatively large mass of water. Increasing the size of the solenoid valve will increase the mass and corresponding inertia of the valve. Increasing the inertia will typically reduce the response time of the valve and reduce the accuracy of controlling the flow of water. It would be desirable to provide a valve that has a relatively quick response time and is capable of controlling the flow of a large mass of water. It would also be desirable to have a water display that can quickly and accurately generate relatively large slugs of water.